A pair of Valley West Hawks will vie for a spot on Canada’s national U17 hockey team next month, when Hockey Canada hosts a development camp in Calgary.
South Surrey major-midget players Davis Koch, a forward, and Matt Barberis, a defenceman, were among more than 100 players from across the country invited to the weeklong camp, which is set for July 29. The Hawks’ duo are two of just eight players invited from B.C.
From the development camp, a roster will eventually take shape and the Canadian squad will play at the 2014 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, which is set for Oct. 31-Nov. 8 in a yet-to-be-determined city. Canada will take three teams to the tournament.
In the 2013/14 season, Koch was eighth in the BC Major Midget League scoring race, scoring 14 goals and added 45 assists in 34 games. He was also sixth in playoff scoring, with three goals and 10 points in five games.
Barberis, meanwhile, was among the BCMML’s top defencemen, finishing the year with five goals and 21 points in just 20 games.
Barberis and Koch will be in good company at next month’s camp, as all 96 skaters have been listed or drafted by Canadian Hockey League teams. Koch is a draft pick of the Edmonton Oil Kings, while Barberis is a Vancouver Giants prospect.